Oct 08, 2022Cosmowreck rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
I can honestly and emphatically say this is the single worst book I've ever read. Every tiny step the main character makes is followed with at least three sentences of sniveling descriptions of cowardice. You revile the young idiot by…
The Red Badge of Courage is a novel about a boy named Henry Fleming who has enlisted into the army during the Civil War with romanticized ideas of what it means to be a courageous soldier. Once Henry begins to see some action, he is like…
Nov 29, 2019ryner rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Henry is a fresh, green soldier during the Civil War. This short work of fiction details his first few engagements as part of the Union army, following him through moments of sheer terror and panic, confidence, distress, hopefulness and,…
This one has long been criticized for its positive feature: its realism. The critics said, in effect, that it was so realistic, and knowing that the author had not been in combat, therefore, it was fake, and should not be honored as a…
Oct 17, 2019wyenotgo rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
One of the first novels (at least among those written in English) to disrupt the prevailing standard of portraying warfare as glorious and exhilarating. Tellingly, Crane characterizes a pitched battle as a machine whose purpose is to…
Sep 21, 2017HujeBohoc rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
What I liked about this novel is that, instead of focussing on military battles, it describes the array of feelings that a young soldier goes through in a war: excitement, boredom, fear, shame. It is only when the main character is forced…
Mar 11, 2010kwsmith rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Through highly vivid and visual prose, this novel provides a first-person description of a cruel American Civil War battle. Much of the story describes how the difficult battle affects the mental state of a young recruit on the front…
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The Red Badge of Courage